Hightstown Showdown
by Tears of Deathwishxxx
Summary: The Punisher comes to a borough in New Jersey to investigate the rape of a mentally challenged teenage girl. Based off the Glen Ridge rape of 1989.
1. Chapter 1

**Come on, if I owned the Punisher- then I'd try to own all of Marvel-fucking-Comics characters. Well, the ones that I know of anyway. And I would come up with cool storylines that would intertwine these characters. So on and so forth. Sadly, I don't.**

**Author's Note: While people are waiting for an update for _Invasion_, I'll give you a little something to keep you on your toes. Basically, this fic is going to be based off of the Glen Ridge rape.

* * *

**Leaves blew as the cold air forced the Punisher to tighten the black trenchcoat he donned. It was a cool October day in the borough of Hightstown, New Jersey. He was walking through a suburban neighborhood, combat boots crunching brown leaves as he passed parents walking with their children to school. Frank Castle was reflecting on a conversation he had with an 8-year-old boy earlier in the week that walked up to him:

* * *

_Castle was sitting in the park on a bench, reminiscing on days when he would pick Will up from kindergarten. Castle had just gotten out of the Marine Corps and married Maria, a few years before he joined the FBI. He remembered taking a five-year-old Will to a park to swing, slide, the usual things that kids his age did. Maria had just finished her getting her doctorate in psychology and they had been living in a medium sized house in a neighborhood similar to the one Frank was walking through._

_"Mr. Punisher?"_

_Frank was snapped back into reality when he heard a small voice call to him. It was a young boy, who kind of reminded him of Will when he was that age._

_"Mr. Punisher, can you help my dad?" asked the child._

_"Shouldn't you be with your daddy?" asked Castle._

_"Yessir, Mr. Punisher, but he's crying," said the child. "I think those bad boys who hurt my sister are making him cry."_

_Castle's eyes narrowed._

_"What's your name?" Castle asked._

_"Trevor."_

_Castle: "Trevor, first tell me how you knew who I was."_

_Trevor: "That skull thingy on your shirt. It reminds me of the one that's on my pajamas. And my daddy says you make the bad people go away, Mr. Punisher. Are you a policeman?"_

_Frank didn't know how to answer that. He was what the law was incapable of being: justice._

_Castle: "Sort of. I make the bad people go away to protect the good boys like you. Now, Trevor, can you tell me about these bad boys?"_

_Trevor: "They play baseball at my sister's school."_

_Castle: "How old is your sister?"_

_Trevor: "16."_

_Castle: "What else can you tell me about them?"_

_Trevor: "They're mean. They called my mom a bad word and they spat on my sister."_

_Castle shook his head._

_Castle: "Trevor, you've been a big help. I'll go find these bad boys and I'll help you make them disappear. They'll never hurt your sister again."_

_Trevor wrapped his small arms around Castle's neck._

_"Thank you, Mr. Punisher!"_

_"Trevor!"_

_Trevor turned around to see a tall, brown-haired man walking toward him. Must've been the boy's father. He watched as the man scooped the child up._

_"What did I tell you about talking to strangers?" the man scolded._

_"Dad, that's Mr. Punisher. He's gonna help us!"_

_That man looked over at Castle, who was standing up now and turning to walk away._

_"Mr. Castle!" the man choked out._

_Frank turned around as the father walked up to him._

_"Please...don't make this worse...this isn't any of your business..."_

_Castle said nothing as he turned to walk away...

* * *

_And here Castle was, walking down the street. He did an online search for "rape in Hightstown." Over a million results came back. National media had managed to cover this. There had been a trial. There had been seven of them: they managed to coerce the girl, who was mentally challenged, into coming into the basement of one of the suspects' home for a party. There, the crime had taken place: the victim, Lacee West, had been raped and sexually assaulted with a lubricated golf club.

Prosecuting attorneys interviewed the girl numerous times: they came to realize that she didn't understand what had happened to her, and there was no logical way that she could've known that she could've said no. Eventually, a jury found the seven boys guilty. However, they remained free on bond. In a sense, it could be years before they spend _any_ time behind bars. Castle was also shocked at the reaction of the town, some of the parents of the rapists who painted the girl as a whore and insisted that she had asked for it.

As he walked down the street, the mental metamorphosis began. Frank Castle was giving in to the Punisher, who was the holder of all of Frank's darker emotions...

The first of the seven targets would be Samuel Wright, 18. The Punisher looked at his picture with disgust: a brown, short-haired white kid with green eyes and a smile that'd be perfect for the cover of any magazine. Then again, these guys were upper middle class and spoiled brat jocks.

Castle heard that this guy liked to lounge in front of the liquor store with two of his buddies, harassing the only female clerk on the job when she was alone. Samuel was a guy that didn't take no for an answer. He would be found there buying cigarettes and trying to persuade the clerk to give him alcohol. Mr. Wright would soon be learning about the effects of what happened when one threw a lit smoke on top of a puddle of Wild Turkey...

* * *

Castle had managed to make it to the store. He kept his head down and his eyes lowered as he walked into the liquor store and walked up to the counter. He pulled out an ID after asking for a bottle of Wild Turkey. He nodded a thanks as he walked out of the store, where two teenage boys were waiting on either side of the door and one was in front of it, blocking Castle's way.

"Hey, dude," said the teen in front. "Mind sharing? We're trying to get prepared for a party tonight..."

Castle recognized him at once as the first suspect but didn't say anything.

"Sorry, the law'd be all over me..."

"I don't think you're getting the point, bro," said the guy on the left, piercings adorning his face, as he and his friend brandished switchblades.

"We're not _asking_..."

"Just like you didn't ask Lacee West?"

"How the fuck do you-"

And Castle's trenchcoat opened at once, revealing his calling card.

"Oh, shit! Not _you_!" yelled the subject, confirmed as Samuel.

And Castle instantly drew his signature twin .45 Colt M1911s with safeties off. The wrath of heaven had struck upon the skulls of the cronies. It was like two blood-filled balloons had been popped...

Samuel instantly made a run for it, only to be stopped as he felt his left leg disintegrate in a shower of gore before falling to the ground. The Punisher eventually walked up to the teen, who was scared out of his mind.

What the hell did he do to deserve this? All he did was convince some bitch with Down syndrome to let him get into her panties. Samuel wasn't the kind to turn down any pussy, even if it was retard pussy. This bitch had ruined not only his life, but the lives of his friends. It was an innocent party. He didn't do anything except lick her pussy. It was Wade who put the golf club in her, not him. So why did he end up in court? He tried to stop the party after he had eaten the girl out, but it wasn't enough for the guys...Samuel wasn't going to suffer for them.

"Please...I didn't do anything! Don't kill me, please!" Samuel shrieked, as he felt the tears come down.

Frank cocked the pistol, pointing it at Samuel.

"You were there. You took part in the act. You did nothing to stop this girl's pain, so that makes you just as guilty." Frank said coldly. "The devil's waiting. Don't be late..."

Three muzzles flashes later, eighteen year old Samuel Wright- the captain of the baseball team and New Jersey's All-State first baseman, received his sentence for his participation in the rape of sixteen year old Lacee West: Punishment.


	2. Chapter 2

**HIGHTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY**

**NIGHTTIME- THE SLUMS**

Frank had taken refuge in what was now a former crackhouse after _convincing_ its tenants to move out. Luckily, the dead drug dealers had left behind a laptop computer which had Wi-Fi access. Castle went to the website he found the news article that he had been looking at earlier and printed it out. It had a list of all the names of those involved. He picked up a pen that was on the table and scratched out the picture of Samuel Wright. Only six were left on this list, all of which were guilty of conspiracy to commit aggravated sexual assault:

Aaron Gray, 17. Charged with third-degree aggravated sexual assault.

Orlando Edwards, 19. Charged with third-degree sexual assault.

Adam King, 17. Charged with third-degree aggravated sexual assault.

Rene Lucas, 18. Charged with third-degree assault with a deadly weapon and second-degree aggravated sexual assault.

Richard "Dick" Frasier, 18. Charged with armed criminal action and second degree aggravated sexual assault.

And the ringleader: Wade Keys, 17. Charged with first degree assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, and armed criminal action.

Punishment would come to these bastards real soon, but the Castle had to monitor them. Weaknesses came in many forms: a daily routine or a simple habit. News of Samuel Wright's death had hit news outlets across the state and was breaking news on all the channels. There was no motive, no suspects as to who did it...

But time would reveal itself soon enough.

* * *

Next on the list was Orlando Edwards, 19. Edwards was now a freshman at the College of New Jersey, being allowed in despite the media circus that was the rape trial. Apparently, people outside the state were undecided on who to sympathize with. Edwards was black- which made it all the more surprising that he or the only other black participant, Adam King, hadn't been singled out by conservative media outlets. Except for when those punk bitches at Faux News, as Castle called Fox, slammed King and tried to paint him as the ringleader. Well, it was either a pick between him or Edwards. Gotta love agendas. Castle wasn't a man of politics, because politics don't deliver justice. He just went on about his daily business.

Luckily, for this mission, Frank wouldn't need napalm car bombs or heavy machine guns for these guys. They weren't a criminal organization, just a group of punks who thought taking advantage of a mentally-challenged girl was funny. They would soon realize that rape was never funny, especially to the Punisher.

Then Castle learned something interesting: Adam King, the only other African-American participant, was his roommate. Seems rapists do stick together, after all. This meant that Frank would have to take a drive up to Ewing, where the College was...

* * *

After three hours, Frank had made it to the front entrance of where the College was. He looked at the two pictures of King and Edwards: both black, one with a shaved head, the other with long dreads and a tattoo above his left eye. A Navy cross. Frank wanted to laugh at the irony of this. A piece of shit like this, wearing a Navy cross? He failed, letting out a small chuckle as he turned to the backseat and checked his mini-armory.

Two Colt M1911s, a USAS-12 automatic shotgun, a pair of .50 caliber Automag Fives, and the Dragunov SVU sniper rifle. Castle looked around his surroundings as he got out of the SUV, and opened the back door to grab the auto shotgun and the Automags. He also took a few stun grenades in case there'd be a large crowd or a gang that they'd join. He holstered the large pistols and slung the shotgun under his coat.

It was time for evil to receive their punishment...

* * *

After asking a few questions...or brutalizing a few of the skinheads on campus, depending on your train of thought, the Punisher managed to get some info on where King and Edwards were located. Of course, these inbreds weren't so big on having _those_ kind of people at "their" school. They didn't look like they had any association with any of the supremacist gangs and they were also too physically frail to do any real damage in a fight. Castle could easily break them with a few blows landed in the right spots of their bodies. But the Punisher wasn't in New Jersey to take on Neo-Nazis. He'd deal with them another time. His focus was on the remaining six rapists of Hightstown.

The info Castle gained: Adam King and Orlando Edwards were members of a fraternity: Theta Nu Xi. Castle wasn't sure of what the fraternity was like, but he heard that they were holding a party tonight. It was to introduce the new recruits that they had picked up for Rush. The introduction would be held outside the Brower Student Center, where a large bonfire would illuminate the night as the events would unfold. This forced Castle to return to his vehicle for a change of tactics. He pulled up an outline of the campus on the laptop he brought and managed to mark a strategic spot before exiting and going to the backseat once more.

This time, it was to claim the Dragunov sniper rifle. There'd be a large crowd and Castle wanted to make sure his targets would be struck without innocents catching the brunt of it. After gathering what he needed, Castle moved out to take position in a tree, as he looked through his nightvision scope the Dragunov was equipped with...an hour later, one of the largest crowds ever had gathered. And then, he saw his two objectives: the short-haired Adam King in a black coat and glasses, and Orlando Edwards with his dreadlocks tied into a ponytail and wearing skinny jeans sagging to the top of his knees with a turquoise plaid shirt. No way Edwards looked straight enough to go near a girl, but young people and their fashion of choice were usually misleading to the common eye. It just went to show that evil came in all forms...

* * *

On the podium were Adam King and Orlando Edwards. They were stoked to be joining Theta Nu Xi, as they heard it was one of the top frats in the state. Even more so when the two brothers who recruited them overlooked their "controversy" back in Highstown, agreeing that they were victims of a fucked-up justice system that was set up to target young black men in any fashion they could. Really, who the fuck do you think the system's gonna go after when a white bitch has been raped? Even more so, they severed all ties with Wade and the others- so they could get on with their lives, something that was hard to do.

For Edwards, Lacee West was the farthest thing from his mind. He had long forgotten about her and had managed to get King to do the same, since they were free. By the time the judge wanted them back in the courtroom, people will long forget about them.

"Dude, we finally made it," Adam King started, opening up his jacket. "I mean, I'd never thought I'd see a college- let alone the College of N.J."

"Yeah, I'm surprised they let us in," Orlando Edwards replied. "Shit, I guess we gonna do it big tonight after this thing is over."

"For 's-"

BANG!

King didn't get to finish his statement, nor would he ever get to make another as his world exploded in a shower of red and his body crumpled to the ground as his hat fell down upon it. And then the screams of panic rang out as people began to run away. The Punisher jumped down from the tree he occupied, walking toward the mass panic as he discarded the sniper rifle. Orlando didn't know what to do except try to run for it. He wasn't sure who fired the shot. Maybe it was one of those skinhead motherfuckers he saw on campus.

It was like some _Higher Learning_ shit going around here where the skinhead shot everybody in sight because he was brainwashed. Orlando wasn't gonna stick around. He took off running when he felt the wrath of an angry god strike the back of his leg, forcing him down to the ground. And in that instant, he met his friend's killer. Edwards had heard about Sam Wright's murder, but thought very little of it.

Until now.

He looked up into the eyes of the Punisher, who was holstering one of the pistols on his side. And realized what the man's goal was.

"Man, I ain't do nothin' to that girl!" Edwards yelled defiantly, though feeling the pain of the new hole in his knee.

"Is that right?" asked Castle. "What girl are you even talking about? I haven't said a word."

"I know it was you that- aaahhh - popped Sam last week!"

Frank knelt down to the wounded piece of shit that was holding his leg in severe pain and placed the barrel of the gun to the punk's head.

"Man, what the fuck you tryna acheive? The judge let us go!" Edwards yelled.

"Right into my hands. And if I recall, you were found guilty..."

Castle pulled the hammer back on the .50 Action Express pistol, his index finger tickling the trigger.

"But no sentence was passed down, so allow me to pass down my own sentence..."

"No... no... NOOO-"

And the sound of a atomic resounded through the campus of the College of New Jersey as Frank Castle finally gave the trigger the release it desperately ached for, preparing Orlando Edwards for the closed casket funeral his family will be holding.


	3. Chapter 3

With three of the seven rapists of Hightstown terminated, Frank Castle was well on his way to sending them all to Hell. But this wasn't going to go unnoticed.

"Three of them! Three! Whacked in the last three weeks!" yelled Chief Detective Evan Wallace. "Motherfucking Frank Castle!"

"To be honest, I think Castle's doing us a favor," replied Lieutenant Christian Skye. "I say we let him knock off those no-pussy-gettin' fucks. They ain't gonna see a courtroom no way."

Wallace: "Keep your personal feelings to yourself, Skye. As much as I'd love to see Wade Keys with a closed-casket funeral, you have a job to do. That's why I'm making you Lead Detective."

Skye: "So I'm...?"

Wallace: "Yeah, Christian-you're in charge of bringing him in."

Skye: "_Fuck me._ I'd rather sit back and let him work."

"That kind of attitude," Chief Detective Wallace said. "is why your ass is in charge of this case. Let him go, and I swear I'll not only demote you but I will have you charged with obstruction of justice. Go pick your crew while I place a call to a certain Martin Soap of the NYPD."

"Kiss my ass, Evan."

"Bend over."

* * *

**Back in Hightstown- Homecoming Night:**

Rene Lucas was in the middle of his senior year. The time for Homecoming had come, and Rene was one of many boys who was running for Homecoming King. He had managed to use the "controversy" to gain a little sympathy and get people on his side.

But right now, he was in the comfort of his family mansion preparing for the big dance, surrounded by five bodyguards everywhere he went after the news of his three cohorts' deaths. This whole incident with Lacee West had ruined his life, but due to the fact that most of the town thought that all seven boys were innocent- Rene had become a celebrity, of sorts. He wanted to strangle that little handicapped bitch, but at the same time- he wanted to thank her for his newfound "fame."

The same fame that the others had, which had been ended by the hands of the Punisher. He heard about Frank Castle and the things when he survived his family's slaughter and resurfaced in Tampa.

He read about how Frank's whole family was slaughtered by a group of contracted killers which were later revealed to be hired by Howard Saint, a dirty businessman whose son, Bobby, was inadvertently killed in an Interpol sting.

Renee read about how the former FBI agent systematically drove Howard Saint to kill his best friend Quentin Glass and his own wife Livia, shortly before Castle seemingly ended the life his other son John (who is currently seeking the head of the Punisher as the mob boss, Jigsaw) and finally, putting Howard himself out of his misery.

In _that_ order.

So now, Rene was wondering how he would survive the Punisher's onslaught. His bodyguards were trained to deal with common threats such as stalkers and stick-up boys, but how would they be able to fare against the world's best killing machine? And if they could find a way, would they stand a chance against Frank Castle?

Rene pushed the thoughts out of his mind as he stood in front of the mirror, straightening the tie for his all-black suit.

"Tonight," Rene said to no one. "A new King will rule over Hightstown. All hail... King Lucas."

The boy turned to his bodyguards and nodded.

"I'm ready."

"Yes, sir," replied Devin Lewis, head bodyguard. "Alright, boys! Let's move out."

Two bodyguards walked in front of Rene and Devin, while the other two covered their rear.

* * *

Outside the Lucas home was Frank Castle walking in the neighborhood. He saw the driver of a black Cadillac limousine standing with his back turned to him on his cell phone. He had been watching Ren all week. He knew the five bodyguards would be a problem, as he wasn't sure whether to kill them or use non-lethal means to put them down as he dealt with his target. The driver would've been a definite no-kill, until Castle heard his conversation:

Limo Driver: "Yeah, when I drop the "prince" off at his dance, I'll be on my way there. Your boss wants to buy at least four keys, right? I mean, it's not like the shit those urban fucks sell in Harlem. My shit is pure. Fuckin' _tecatos_ would kill to get some of this."

A pause.

"Alright. Four keys, and he wants to pay what? Twenty grand? Man, heroin like this isn't worth twenty grand."

Another pause.

"Sixty grand each? Now we're talking. All right then, Alfonzo, I'll see you late-UGH!"

The driver's head bounced off of the top of the car before he was spun around.

"Where's the dope?" Castle demanded.

"I'm just a limo driver!"

A punch to the kidney loosened his tongue a bit, though not what Frank wanted.

"Fuck you, Punisher! The kid's bodyguards are gonna eat you up!"

Castle kneed the wise guy in the stomach before kicking the door onto his hand, forcing an agonizing scream from the drug dealer's lips.

"I'm on a schedule tonight," Castle said through gritted teeth. "Cut the shit."

"In the trunk! The dope's in the trunk!"

"Thank you," Frank replied, kicking the man in the stomach. "Now where's the deal going down?"

"At Valerie's Pub! In the alleyway! The guy you're looking for is named Alfonzo! He'll be looking for me at nine, an hour before the dance ends!"

"You've been a big help," said Castle, a stiletto shoe sticking the drug-dealing limo driver in the throat.

Luckily, Frank had came prepared and disguised. He was in a white suit with a matching fedora. It wasn't what the driver was wearing, but nonetheless Castle was in motion.

About fifteen minutes later, after Frank had dumped the body in the trunk, Rene and his bodyguards stepped outside. Castle kept his hat down over his eyes until Devin approached him.

"Where's Luis?" he asked.

"He called in, asked me to take his place," Castle replied.

"What's your name?"

"Francis."

"Well, you're gonna have to do, Francis," Devin said. "You know where the school is?"

"Absolutely."

No more words were exchanged as Castle opened the back door for the six. Rene got in last. For some reason, the boy just kept eyeballing Castle as he got inside the vehicle. Something about the replacement driver didn't sit well with the boy. Finally, Frank closed the door before moving to the driver's side and getting behind the wheel.

About thirty minutes later, after listening to the nonstop conversation between Devin and Rene, Castle made his choice concerning the bodyguards.

* * *

Castle finally managed to find a parking space that was isolated from the school. Out of his suit jacket, he pulled out an anti-personnel mine as he let up the window separating him from the back of the limo before sticking it onto the window. Before he got out of the vehicle, he activated the childproof locks and locked the windows.

Rene saw Frank walking away from the limo.

"What the hell is he doing?" muttered Rene. "Hey, get back here!"

When the "driver" turned around, Rene's eyes widened in horror at the shirt under the suit jacket.

The ultimate symbol of Death. The Skull.

The Punisher. And he had a detonator in one hand and was pointing downward.

Rene and Devin looked down in horror.

Sticky bombs everywhere.

_"Fuck you, Castle!"_ Rene screamed. "_Fuck you!_ I hope you burn in-"


	4. Chapter 4

"God-fucking-damn it all!" Chief Wallace roared, knocking a stack of papers over. "Fucking Castle struck again!"

It'd be a bit of an understatement to say that Wallace was pissed off. He looked over at Skye.

"What the fuck? I thought you had this one!" Wallace yelled. "Not only did Rene Lucas and his bodyguards get blasted, but Castle even managed to smash a drug deal that their limo driver was involved in."

"Chief, it's not like Castle announces when he's going to swoop down on criminals," Lieutenant Skye replied.

_"Well, you're just gonna have to be a step ahead of Castle, won't you?"_ Wallace retorted.

"Yeah. Frankly, I'd rather wait to see what Wade Keys is going to do," Skye replied. "Maybe let him blow up whoever's left. But my thing is, how did Castle get so close to the Lucas family limousine? And not just that, he was able to detonate a pretty good amount of Semtex and get past their bodyguards."

"Christian, those guys are nothing compared to Castle," Wallace shot back. "They've never been up against anything like the Skull. So it was easy for them."

Skye: "Well, the next thing would be to figure out who he's going after next. We've got Aaron Gray, Richard Frasier, and Wade Keys."

Suddenly, the door to Evan's door burst open. He looked up and saw a white man about in his late 30's to early 40's. The other guy was a large black man, light-skinned, looked to be about six and a half feet tall.

Skye: "Yeah, Chief. In order to bust Castle, you have to think like him. So I called up Detective Soap after the double murder. He and Agent Budiansky here agreed to lend a hand on this case."

Wallace got up, shaking hands with both Soap and Budiansky.

Budiansky: "Lieutenant Skye here was pretty enthusiastic about asking us to help out. We've been having difficulties across the bridge trying to keep Castle locked away."

Wallace: "The Lieutenant's one of my best officers on the force. Christian, I'll allow you to have Agent Budiansky and Detective Soap to go along on the case. Now tell us, gentlemen, who do you think Frank Castle will go after next?"

Soap: "I'm not the best cop that ever walked New York, but I can tell you this, Chief Wallace: Frank Castle is going to save your Wade Keys for last."

Skye: "So we've gotta babysit Frasier or Gray."

Wallace: "Send patrol cars to both of their residences. Take no chances and make no assumptions."

* * *

**MIDNIGHT**

**HIGHTSTOWN, NEW JERSEY**

**HOME OF AARON GRAY**

Soap, Budiansky, and Lt. Skye were in the living room of the Gray Family, assuring them that their son would be safe. However, Evegenia Gray wasn't satisfied.

"How can you be so sure that nothing will happen to my son?" she demanded. "We've heard reports about this Punisher. He's one of the most talked about people in the media."

Budiansky: "Madam, I understand your concern. However, Frank Castle has been captured before. We'll see to it this time, that he stays locked away."

Skye: "Mr. Gray, would there be any places your son would go? Things he would do?"

Roland Gray: "About this time, Aaron would be at the local pool hall with his friends. Personally, I don't like them. They're nothing but thugs."

Before Soap could reply, he heard burning rubber. A vehicle, speeding away.

Soap: "Oh, shit! Paul, let's go!"

Skye hopped up, overturning tables in the vicinity as Soap and Budiansky ran outside with pistols drawn. Unfortunately, their ride had been stolen...


	5. Chapter 5

Skye reached for the phone, tearing it apart to reveal it had been bugged. And there was a hidden mic in a drawer. Apparently, Castle had the place wired long before the cops had come to pay a visit to the Grays.

The detective ran outside, seeing a patrol officer getting out of his vehicle. Skye rushed to him.

Skye: "Rookie, I need your vehicle."

"Yes, sir."

"Soap, Budiansky!" Skye yelled as the two NYPD officers ran to the car and hopped in.

The car peeled off, making a right turn and two more lefts before getting onto a main road. Skye took the radio.

"Dispatcher, this is Lieutenant Christian Skye! I need all units at Charlie's Bar and Grill! This is a serious matter, it's Frank Castle!"

* * *

**Charlie's Bar and Grill:**

Aaron Gray was playing billiards with six gang members, all of them Caucasian and dressed in urban wear. Surburbia boys playing gangster. These seven punks were hard to the motherfuckin' core, ain't no bitch in any of these boys.

And they damn sure weren't scared of some ex-FBI motherfucker that was goin' around killing niggas over some handicapped bitch that made that bullshit-ass claim that she was raped.

Fuck that bitch, Lacee West.

And fuck them four punk-asses that was stupid enough to leave themselves open. Aaron Gray didn't give a fuck about nobody but his homeboys, wasn't scared of shit, and fucked up any faggot-ass that got in his way. The way Aaron saw it, if the Punisher wanted to come up in his spot and start some shit, he'd have to taste some blue steel.

Aaron Gray was not a stupid person. He knew who the Punisher and what he was capable of, but he and his boys knew every nook and cranny of Hightstown and as far as he was concerned, they had home field advantage.

"Hey, Suga!"

OG Suga looked up.

"Man, what you gonna do when the Punisher show up?"Aaron asked, smiling.

"Man, I'ma _fuck his bitch ass up_!" OG Suga shouted, pulling out two silver nine-millimeter Berettas. "The Punisher don't want it! The first thing his ass better do when he see me is run, motherfucker!"

And loud, repeated explosions rocked the air, followed by the sound of glass break and the remaining six gang members scurrying for cover as they saw a bright red hole the size of a tea saucer open up in OG Suga's chest, watching him drop like a broken puppet.

The innocent patrons, including the bartender, rushed out of the bar past Castle, who was holding the Hog: a nickname given to the M60 rifle famous for use in Vietnam. This monster was chambered with seven-six-two millimeter, armor-piercing rounds. Castle went to work, firing toward his right at the bar. One of Aaron's fellow gang members was hiding behind the bar and firing what looked like a relic of a revolver. Unfortunately, the wood didn't do much for cover against the AP rounds. The moans of death were audible to the Punisher's ears.

The third one's head and upper body gave the walls a new red paint job as he exploded out of cover to charge the Punisher.

Two more tried to run for the back door, only to be cut down to absolutely nothing but twitching and bloody hamburger.

Which of course, left Gray himself. And needless to say, this suburban thug had wished he had hit the bathroom before this gunfight occurred. At least, that's what the horrendous stench in the air that Frank was smelling said.

"Aaron Gray," said the Punisher. "Your time has come-"

"Fuck you, Punisher!" screamed Gray.

Aaron Gray was scared shitless and he knew that it was over, that he was going to be killed at the hands of the Punisher. But if he was going to die, he was going to succeed where the Yakuza, the Cosa Nostra, militia, and countless superhumans had failed. The suburban 'banger came out of hiding, a death grip on his M9's trigger, prepared to take the Punisher to the afterlife with him.

"Ready for hell, Punisher?"

As Gray popped out from behind a wall, Castle spent his remaining rounds, cutting Gray in half with a horizontal sweep. His soul, as well as his weapon, were both empty. He threw down the M60, reaching under his trenchcoat for something else. He retrieved a black M1911 (British Service Model), turning off the safety as he walked toward the barely-alive Gray, who was trying to move backward. Castle gave the youth no chance to speak as he pulled the trigger, spending the eight rounds and effectively decapitating the "gangster."

As Castle put away his sidearm, he walked toward the bar's exit, only to be met with white cars. Men in blue uniforms popped out of them, their pistols trained on the Punisher. A white man with a dirty blonde ponytail stepped out of one of the patrol cars with his own pistol out. Getting out of the same was another white man in a brown suit with no tie.

_Damn Soap,_ Castle thought, shaking his head.

But the third man caught Castle's attention the most. A big, hulking bald black man in street clothes with a leather jacket. But not the Barracuda. Worse, because he was law enforcement.

Paul Budiansky, FBI.

"Don't move, Castle," said the ponytailed man, who was coming toward Castle. "Detective Christian Skye, Hightstown PD. Congratulations on getting five of the seven, Frank, but I got my orders to not let you run rampant in this city. Which leaves me to say one last thing: you're under arrest."


	6. Chapter 6

_"Don't move, Castle," said the ponytailed man, who was coming toward Castle. "Detective Christian Skye, Hightstown PD. Congratulations on getting five of the seven, Frank, but I got my orders to not let you run rampant in this city. Which leaves me to say one last thing: you're under arrest."_

* * *

**SIXTEENTH PRECINCT- HIGHTSTOWN PD**

Frank Castle was being held in an interrogation room in 16th Precinct. Just outside the interrogation room, Chief Detective Evan Wallace beamed proudly at his detective.

"I knew you could do it," said Wallace to Skye. "I was worried for nothing."

"I have no pity for Aaron Gray," replied Skye. "But I was just doing my job, like you wanted."

"Well, get in there and finish the work I gave to you. You can interrogate the Punisher."

"Fine with me," said Christian Skye, opening the door to the interrogation room and walking inside.

* * *

He closed the door and locked it before turning to the bound Punisher and sitting down, deciding to turn off the cameras for this one.

"As I said to you earlier, Frank, congratulations," Skye said, an obvious smile on your face. "Those raping sacks of shit will no longer be terrorizing anyone."

Castle stared deeply into the detective's eyes, not saying a single word.

"So, which leaves me to ask naturally: who was next on your list? Richard Fraiser or Wade Keys?"

"Doesn't matter," Frank replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Well, you obviously never heard the news about Richard Frasier. Well, by default, no one knows because it was never announced."

"He's dead," asked Frank.

"You catch on quick, Castle," Skye replied. "Although I couldn't give a fuck about some rapist committing suicide. He left a note behind, saying that he was sorry for the things his role and he hoped that he would be forgiven in the afterlife. Honestly, I can't be assed to wonder about things like an afterlife, since there is no God."

"Atheist."

"Stopped believing when 9/11 happened. If he existed, he would've spared "his people" from being mercilessly slaughtered by sick fuck perversions of the prophet Muhammad's teachings. Anyway, Castle..."

The pretty boy of a detective's right hand went for his service weapon, the nine millimeter black Glock 21, pulling it out and turning off the safety.

"As much as I don't wanna do this, I have to. For both our sakes."

Skye raised and pointed the Glock in Castle's direction briefly before suddenly throwing the pistol to him, his left hand managing to somehow conjure a silver pocket-sized pistol as he raised the weapon to the light above and squeezed the trigger twice, shattering the tubes as the interrogation room went dark.

* * *

**HOME OF WADE KEYS- FIVE HOURS LATER**

The ringleader of the Lacee West's rape, Wade Keys, had just kicked over his television in a mix of fear and rage.

The Punisher had escaped police custody, on the loose once again.

Wade knew what this meant: that at any moment, Frank Castle could come busting through his door and whack him without a second thought.

Fuck! Why'd the shit have to go down on his eighteenth birthday, of all days?

Wade knew the goons he associated himself with were the run-of-the-mill punks that the Punisher made a hobby out of killing. Basically, he had to get himself some hard hitters that could dispatch that skull-wearing son of a bitch quick, fast, and in a hurry. He whipped his iPhone out of his pocket, going through his contacts until he found the one was he looking for and touched the send button on the screen.

For what seemed like an eternity, the phone continued to ring until a soft male voice picked up.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Wade Keys, I'm in a bit of a tight spot."

"Mr. Keys, so the day has come."

"Yeah. I would've-"

"Hmm, I believe my company could easily restore your peace of mind. Especially with the news that the Punisher is once again allowed to roam free by your town's incompetent police department."

"Whatever you say. How much will it-"

"Cost? Nothing to you. Saint Incorporated will gladly take on this task free of charge."

"Thank you."

"No, Wade Keys. John Saint thanks _you_."

* * *

**TAMPA, FLORIDA**

**SAINT MANSION**

John Saint sat in the office of his late father Howard, staring at the window at his reflection after terminating the line.

What had Frank Castle done to him that night? He survived the detonation of that mine, but it left him horribly disfigured and in need of emergency surgery. The end result had left him and his face a shattered match, only to be crudely pieced back together.

His father, killed by the Punisher.

His mother, missing and unheard from since the night of the Punisher's attack on the family nightclub, Saints and Sinners. John had taken every route to locate his mother to no avail.

His twin brother, Bobby, taken from him by Castle's FBI friends.

Quentin, also disappeared. Had he run off with his mother?

John had so many questions that he felt the Punisher had answers to.

Before he would personally send Frank Castle to the next world, Jigsaw would get them out of him.


End file.
